Leader of European Union’s Cyber Security Agency Honored

San Francisco, CA – RSA CONFERENCE – February 24, 2014 –The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) has named Prof Udo Helmbrecht, Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), as the 2014 recipient of the CSA Industry Leadership Award. The CSA Industry Leadership Award is given to individuals in recognition of their contributions in advancing secure cloud computing initiatives. ENISA has been an affiliate member of CSA since its inaugural year of 2009.

“Prof Helmbrecht has approached the issue of cloud computing adoption with a strategic vision and healthy skepticism,” said Jim Reavis, CEO of the CSA. “The very diverse European market provides many unique challenges. Prof Helmbrecht has not been a cheerleader for the industry, but has engaged with all key stakeholders to support responsible adoption of cloud computing based on solid security principles. We have enjoyed a healthy partnership with ENISA that has included collaboration to create the Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK), our SecureCloud conferences and many other research projects. Prof Helmbrecht can take satisfaction in his role in driving a more secure cloud and greater privacy protection for European citizens.”

In 2009, Helmbrecht was appointed as Executive Director of ENISA by its Management Board, following a presentation to the European Parliament’s ITRE committee. Under Helmbrecht’s leadership, ENISA has consolidated its role as a centre of network and information security expertise, and continued its work to facilitate cooperation in network and information security across Europe. Helmbrecht has presided over many advancements in secure cloud computing, including the original cloud computing risk assessment research in 2009, as well as research on service level agreements, government clouds and incident reporting.

“As a business model, cloud computing offers many advantages over traditional computing and is revolutionising the way we use ICT”, said Professor Helmbrecht. “ENISA believes there are important security opportunities as well, and we are working together with the public and the private sector to capitalize on these opportunities. Our goal is to ensure that security of cloud computing surpasses that of traditional computing models. In this way we ensure that good security practices stimulate economic growth.

“I am honoured to receive this award from the Cloud Security Alliance and accept it on behalf of the entire staff at ENISA. The success of ENISA’s cloud security papers shows the power of collaboration between public sector, industry and industry associations. Without their engagement and support we would not be able to effectively promote better security practices in the EU. Collaborations with global industry associations, such as our partnership with CSA, are crucial for our mission: to be a centre of security expertise for the EU.”

Prof Helmbrecht is the third recipient of the CSA Industry Leadership Award, following Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney in 2013 and Trend Micro CEO Evan Chen in 2012.

About the Cloud Security Alliance

The Cloud Security Alliance is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within Cloud Computing, and to provide education on the uses of Cloud Computing to help secure all other forms of computing. The Cloud Security Alliance is led by a broad coalition of industry practitioners, corporations, associations and other key stakeholders. For further information, visit us at www.cloudsecurityalliance.org, and follow us on Twitter .

About the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA)

The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) is providing expertise on cyber security issues for the EU and its Member States. ENISA is the EU’s response to the cyber security issues of the European Union. As such, it is the ‘pace-setter’ for Information Security in Europe, and a centre of expertise.